Studying for an applied degree at Brunel University of London with time out in industry laid the perfect foundations for excelling in the workplace after graduating, says international banker Alistair Currie.
Currie has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Technology by his old university this week in recognition of more than 30 years in senior roles at three of the world’s leading banks – HSBC, ANZ and Barclays.
“I don’t think I would have prospered at a university where you just shuffled paper around and filled your head with information,” said Currie, former Group Chief Operating Officer of Barclays Bank where he oversaw technology, operations and services for a global workforce of 60,000 colleagues.
“I was attracted to Brunel by its reputation and the nature of its courses, its connections to industry and the way we were encouraged to foster innovation and apply our learning to real world problems. It was a great combination of academia and dirty overalls.
“I can now say with some confidence that if you come up through a degree track like Brunel’s where you apply your learning, take it to action and find solutions in the real world, you have the comfort of having developed the natural thought processes needed when you start a real job.’
Currie, who graduated in 1989 with a BSc in Design and Technology, said he spent two thirds of his second year working at a marine motor manufacturing company in Hong Kong where his family was based at the time.
A cursory look at Brunel’s roster of courses showed how today Brunel’s ethos is as strong as ever, he said. ‘Every degree has application to science, to industry, to finance, to law, to engineering, to biosciences or which ever subject,’ said Currie, now an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. ‘Everything on that list translates to the world we live in.’
The degree ceremony on Wednesday was the first time he had returned to the Brunel University campus since his graduation 37 years ago. ‘It is clear that Brunel has stayed nimble, focussed on what it is outstanding at and added new areas over time that are relevant to the world today.
“What is different is that the campus has grown, there are more faculties and better facilities. That wasn’t always the case. it is clear there has been immense investment over the decades in the university’s infrastructure.’
Currie told graduates at Wednesday’s degree ceremony that it was an enormous privilege and honour to receive his Honorary Doctorate and that he would now like to renew his ties with his old university by talking with current students and learning how different the equivalent of his degree course is today.
He told students in his acceptance speech that he never imagined his degree would lead to a career in banking.
‘It just goes to show that life and careers rarely unfold in a straight line. I left Brunel with something far more valuable than a detailed career plan.
‘I left with the ability to think critically, to draw on the expertise of others and to never be afraid of asking if there were a better way to solve a problem.’
Technology had changed beyond recognition since 1989, he said. ‘Back then not many had a personal computer, the internet was a curiosity, mobile phones were bricks, tiktok was something clocks did and artificial intelligence was something from science fiction.
‘Today all of these technologies and more underpin every aspect of our lives. With all the benefits, opportunities and risks that go with this.’
For today’s graduates he had a simple message: ‘You have reached the end of the beginning. Many steps will now lay ahead.
“As you face forward, I would say: be curious, embrace change, try everything, take some risks and don’t worry if your career doesn’t follow a neat path - mine certainly didn’t and I wouldn’t change a thing as it has brought me back here to stand in front of you today.’
Introducing the award, Professor Stylianos Asimakopoulos, said that Currie’s career showed an exceptional ability to combine commercial judgement with innovation and the ability to deliver transformation.
‘He is a distinguished Brunel alumnus. His career exemplifies the impact a Brunel education can have on the world stage,’ he said.